Her Last Words: An addictive psychological thriller that will keep you hooked!

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Set in Sydney, Her Last Words is contemporary with an complementary dash of crime. An incredibly engaging story, it’s all about love, grief, betrayal and hope. Kim Kelly's characterisation was second to none and every cast member, whether primary or secondary, good or bad, was expertly created and developed. A deep and meaningful story about love and morality that I heartily recommend.

Her Last Words is Kim Kelly’s very first contemporary tale, a story told with fervour, insight and panache; everything I love about Kim Kelly and then some. Each new novel by Kim Kelly is a highly anticipated event, but when an author that you favour breaks ranks and changes style, in this case, moving from historical fiction to contemporary, the anticipation becomes tinged with just the smallest amount of trepidation. Oh ye of little faith! How I love this woman’s writing. She has all the words and she weaves them together with love and imagination in a way that just makes my soul sing. It's a crisp spring morning when Cass drops her husband, a respected lecturer, to the beach for his medically prescribed swim. While waiting for him, something catches her eye. A young woman runs towards her husband and embraces him - until he holds his hand over her face and she falls down on the stones, dead.Her Last Words is the ninth book in the Detective Amanda Steele series. This can be a stand-alone read but the series is fantastic and worth reading each and every one. Bookouture and Carolyn Arnold provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently expected to be October 17, 2023.

I really loved all of the characters (except Jane!) and felt myself rooting for them to be happy. To wish for this book to have a happily ever after did not feel cheesy or cliche in any way - you want the characters to come out the other side of this journey in a better state than they went in. I think this is something we are all hoping for at the moment. This blurb got me so intrigued, I couldn't resist to start the book as soon as I possibly could. After reading the first chapters about this event, questions started to form instantly. How can a man kill so swiftly and coolly? Know that he simply puts on his clothes and shoes and steps into the car! How can a wife stay silent about what she just saw? Who was that young woman, was she his mistress? I first got a glimpse of that and I sighted, afraid that I had fallen for a milked out "wife-husband-murdered mistress" trope. But the scene was so well rendered, eerie and mysterious, that I kept on reading. And pretty soon, I understood that there was much more to it, and I let out a sigh of relief. In every chapter, changing POV's each time, you get a snippet of information that leads to another path, and that kept me absorbed till the ending. Her Last Words is a stunning contemporary novel from author Kim Kelly, best known for her works of historical fiction. When Detective Amanda Steele is called to the brutal murder scene of successful local author Felicity Kelley , her blood runs cold. Because Amanda not only knew the victim, but was the last person Felicity called moments before she was murdered. Plagued with guilt that she never answered, Amanda is left wondering whether she could have prevented the murder, and vows to catch the killer, no matter what.Cases happening in Amanda and Trent's jurisdiction don't have the time nor opportunity to turn cold, because they take every little detail and put it under the microscope and. They keep on digging until they hit pay dirt. I chose to read this book after receiving a free e-copy from the author. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. I love how well Arnold balances the case along with Amanda’s personal life. Her relationship with Zoe is continuing to grow, change, and adjust to everything going on around them. When the series first started, I was not a fan of Amanda’s. She wasn’t handling things very well and the risk she put on others, in addition to her own career and life, were tough to accept. But now, I’m seeing what I believe to be pieces of who Amanda was before losing Kevin and Lindsay. It’s refreshing! Her relationship with Logan is evolving, too, but deep down, I think she aligns with Trent on a deeper level.

The suspects start piling up as the investigation gets deeper. I was not sure who or what to believe. Detective Amanda Steele is one of my favorite fictional characters. Her sense of duty as a detective often plays against her sense of duty as a mother and partner. Amanda Steele shows the real life side of being a detective and spending so much time simply doing her job. She may take personal time, but she is always on call, if needed. She is fearless and her sense of justice points in the right direction. All of the characters in this book and this series are interesting. The plotline is frantic as they try to find a killer who is smart and calculating. I could not sleep until I finished it. I know when I start a Carolyn Arnold book that I will not be satisfied until I finish it, as she is a winsome storyteller who knows how to pull the reader into the story. If you are a puzzle lover, you will enjoy this book as the book concludes and everything neatly falls into place to complete the puzzle. But the scene is an odd one and it gets odder too. When Amanda and Trent learn Felicity was killed just like a character in her best selling novel 'The Romeo Killer' Yes, there are numerous organizations dedicated to supporting mental health, such as the National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI), Mental Health America (MHA), and the Mental Health Foundation. These organizations provide resources, education, and advocacy for individuals and their families. A gripping debut psychological thriller set on the east coast of Ireland. Atmospheric, twisty, and propulsive, Her Last Words is an edge-of-your-seat read about obsession and dark secrets coming to light. Overall, this novel was engaging, entertaining, and a solid police procedural. I can’t wait to find out what is next for Amanda and Trent. I recommend this series to those that like police procedurals and crime thrillers with relatable and likeable main characters.It is uplifting to know that there are people who can write like this, with clarity, a bit of devilment and a hint of a smile.' Canberra Times Felicity is a successful crime novelist and Amanda was on the case. Could her success have been the catalyst? Could it be her work in progress? She was known for her in depth, detailed research. Could she has found something someone wanted to left undiscovered? This book is extremely hard to categorise and in some ways this makes it a more unique and stay-with-you read.

And because Penny is a commissioning editor for fiction and there is a bookshop involved, not to mention a missing manuscript, the power of narrative shines throughout the discourse and is the vehicle by which both John and Penny forge a new beginning, not with each other, but with characters that are perfect soulmates.

As satirical as this novel is, it is also a deeply meaningful story about love and morality. There are heavy themes throughout but they are conveyed with an empathic tenderness that exposes the most vulnerable parts of a person without shame or pity. Kim Kelly has always shone her brightest when writing about humanity, and so too it is with this novel. Her heart is on her sleeve for all to bear witness to, a bravery that is quite absent in most literature but deeply craved. Bravo Kim Kelly, you got me again. Written with great sensitivity, the themes of guilt, grief, loyalty, betrayal, suicide, post traumatic stress, depression, love, friendship and finding yourself are prevalent throughout. It's a crisp spring morning when Cass drops her husband, a respected lecturer, to the beach for his medically prescribed swim. While waiting for him, something catches her eye. A young woman runs towards her husband and embraces him - until he holds his hand over her face and she falls down on the stones, dead." On the surface, the case appears open and shut. However, when Amanda dug below the surface, she found a possible connection to a fifteen-year-old murder case. Amanda along with Trent finds themselves in a race against time to find the killer before they decide to strike again.